Equitation Science International - ESI

Equitation Science International - ESI Equitation Science International (directed by Dr Andrew & Manuela McLean) provides evidence based horse & rider education. Courses, clinics & lessons.
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Equitation Science International (ESI) is directed by Dr Andrew & Manuela McLean providing evidence based education for horses and riders. ESI is a Registered Training Organisation dedicated to educating riders, coaches and trainers about evidence based horse training. We have accredited qualifications and short courses available both online and residentially. Students of ESI make their careers in

coaching and training, or many just use the knowledge to advance their already active career in biomechanics, veterinary, therapy, as well as just their every day riding. Equitation Science is an extremely exciting new field, changing the traditional methods of horse training to a clear, ethical and systematic approach. ESI offer the first and only theory and practical course on evidence based horse training using learning theory, the Diploma in Equitation Science. To learn more about the Diploma visit www.esi-education.com/diploma/

Friesian horses appear to have a breed-associated predisposition to gastric impaction, a relatively uncommon but serious...
27/08/2026

Friesian horses appear to have a breed-associated predisposition to gastric impaction, a relatively uncommon but serious cause of colic in which ingesta accumulates in the stomach because gastric emptying is impaired. Progressive stomach distension can develop and, in severe cases, may result in gastric rupture.

Evidence suggests that Friesians are over-represented among hospital cases and may have a less favourable prognosis than other breeds. This susceptibility may be linked to underlying differences in gastrointestinal motility or connective-tissue function, although the precise mechanism has not yet been established.

A retrospective review of 125 equine gastric-impaction cases presented to Utrecht University found that Friesians accounted for almost one third of affected horses.

The study also examined cola as a veterinary treatment adjunct.

Administered via a nasogastric tube, cola’s low pH and carbonation may help soften and disperse compacted gastric contents, supporting their breakdown and passage. Its use has been partly informed by similar treatment approaches for some human gastric bezoars.

Overall, 57.6 percent of horses in the study survived to hospital discharge. Horses that received cola had a higher observed survival rate than those that did not, at 82.8 percent compared with 35.8 percent.

However, survival among cola-treated Friesians was lower than in treated non-Friesian horses, at 66.7 percent and 90 percent respectively. These findings support concern that Friesians may be both more susceptible to gastric impaction and more difficult to treat successfully.

Importantly, this was a retrospective study, so treatment protocols, dose, frequency, and severity of cases were not standardised. The findings therefore show an association between cola treatment and survival, but do not prove that cola caused the improved outcome.

Reference: Witt, P., Hagedoorn, S., Kranenburg, L. C., & van den Boom, R. (2021). The use of cola for the treatment of gastric impactions in equids. Pferdeheilkunde–Equine Medicine, 37(6). https://doi.org/10.21836/PEM20210604

Research shows that allogrooming (grooming between horses) in the region of the neck and withers, compared to any other ...
26/08/2026

Research shows that allogrooming (grooming between horses) in the region of the neck and withers, compared to any other region, causes a significant lowering of heart rate and strengthens bonds.

This lowering of heart rate is also seen when humans groom horses in those regions. It is therefore the optimal site to positively reinforce a horse with tactile rewards, and an excellent tool for bonding.

Of course, it is true that for some horses, food rewards are more reinforcing than tactile rewards, but the most important point is that food rewards do not supply mental security in the same way that tactile rewards do.

Therefore, a sensible training strategy would be to combine the two, or for wither stroking to be used as a reliable predictor of a food reward or coupled with the release of tactile pressure.

From the horse’s viewpoint in terms of mental security, a training world devoid of wither stroking but dominated by pressure / release or even food rewards is an empty world.

Early research has shown that a rhythmical circular type of stroking along the neck and just in front of the withers is the most soothing to horses when done by humans.

💡 Modern Horse Training: Equitation Science Principles & Practice, Volume 1 by Andrew Mclean

The horse’s memory is based on encoded neural connections that can form across several areas of the brain. The equine me...
24/08/2026

The horse’s memory is based on encoded neural connections that can form across several areas of the brain. The equine memory is excellent and, in some respects, may be superior to human memory.

While human memory can be altered by recall, context, and reasoning abilities, the memory of the horse appears more stable, perhaps because it is not influenced by reflection or projection, or perhaps because methods have not yet been developed to demonstrate that horses are capable of these processes.

Horses can remember stimulus-categorisation tasks without practice for up to 10 years and can apply previously learned concepts immediately to new stimuli.

However, thinking, analysing, and reflecting can alter memory.
Humans continuously reflect on some memories, retrieving them from storage when thinking or telling a story and later storing them again.

After this reflection process, memories may be stored somewhat differently because they are altered by the physical, emotional, and perceptual context in which the reflection occurs.

The human prefrontal cortex is responsible for this reflective ability.

The absence of tissue with the distinctive cellular characteristics of the human prefrontal cortex in horses, together with the apparent stability of equine working memory, currently suggests that this type of reflection may not occur in horses.

An excerpt from the textbook Equitation Science, 2nd Edition by Andrew McLean, Paul McGreevy, Janne Whinther Christensen & Uta König von Borstel.

In recent years, leishmaniasis has become an increasingly important veterinary and public-health concern across Mediterr...
21/08/2026

In recent years, leishmaniasis has become an increasingly important veterinary and public-health concern across Mediterranean countries, where Leishmania infantum is maintained through the bites of sand flies.

Rising recognition of canine cases has highlighted the intensity of transmission in endemic areas, with dogs widely regarded as the principal domestic reservoir host.

Historically, horses were considered largely unaffected or only accidental hosts, and equine infection received comparatively little attention.

However, accumulating molecular and serological evidence now shows that horses in endemic regions can be exposed to and infected by Leishmania spp., often without obvious clinical signs.

A recent study reports the first evidence of Leishmania infection in horses in north-western Algeria, where canine leishmaniosis is already highly endemic. Among 75 Barb horses sampled in Tiaret Province, 71 were positive by at least one test, with nested PCR detecting parasite DNA in 94.6 percent.

Most positive horses had no obvious illness, although a small proportion showed alopecia or skin ulcers.

This suggests that horses can be frequently exposed to Leishmania without developing severe or recognisable disease, so visible skin lesions alone are likely to miss many infected animals.

The marked difference between PCR and antibody-test results also shows that no single diagnostic test fully captures equine exposure: PCR may identify current or low-level infection, while antibodies may reflect immune response or previous exposure.

Climate-based modelling indicates that areas climatically suitable for L. infantum transmission have increased in parts of southern and eastern Europe and expanded northward toward central Europe, making local surveillance more important even outside traditional hotspots.

The key unanswered question is whether infected horses can efficiently infect sand flies, because that determines whether they are merely sentinels of local risk or active contributors to transmission.

🔗 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2026.106365

Our Diploma of Equitation Science offers exciting new career opportunities in the growing field of equitation science, b...
19/08/2026

Our Diploma of Equitation Science offers exciting new career opportunities in the growing field of equitation science, both in Australia and internationally.

Unlike other modern approaches, we begin with the traditional goals of all equestrian traditions and use evidence-based knowledge of equine cognition, learning, and ethology to create a pathway to success.

Whether you’re interested in dressage, jumping, or any other equestrian sport, our unbiased approach will equip you with the knowledge and skills to begin or enhance your career.

The updated curriculum includes seven units reflecting the latest scientific developments in horse training and welfare. This includes our new unit authored by equitation scientist and veterinarian Dr Lesley Hawson on the horse’s musculoskeletal system, conformation and movement.

The diploma combines theoretical and practical learning, with online study and options for practical workshops or distance assessment.

Take the next step towards a career in evidence-based equitation science.

RTO 41254

Find out more on our website
https://esi-education.com/courses/diploma/

Touch forms the basis of attachment theory. In attachment theory, it is fundamental in terms of mental security that the...
17/08/2026

Touch forms the basis of attachment theory. In attachment theory, it is fundamental in terms of mental security that the need for touch is more important than the need for food.

For horses, as it is for other social species including humans, touch is soothing and because it promotes mental security, it is useful during medical procedures as well as being reinforcing in training.

Soothing touch from stroking and caressing the horse, releases oxytocin, the pleasure molecule. For this reason of attachment alone, stable designs in the future should account for he horse’s need for touch.

Horses that are kept singly often show insecure behaviour that many riders and trainers do not recognise as a consequence of separation. If horses have their hardwired need for touch filled and they can interact physically with herd-mates, many problem behaviours disappear.

In fact, the need for social contact via touch is so strong that when separated they can become very agitated and show separation anxiety. It is important to consider that this is a normal behaviour and simply shows us the strength of the bonding. In training, separation anxiety subsides as the horse develops a sense of security in their human interactions and environment, reducing the reliance on the security provided by their herdmate.

Modern Horse Training: Equitation Science Principles & Practice, Volume 1

For effective, humane and safe training, it is important that any training method relies on light aids as well as self-c...
14/08/2026

For effective, humane and safe training, it is important that any training method relies on light aids as well as self-carriage.

Self-carriage, as it was always described in the classical equitation texts beginning in the mid-1500s, is about being in ‘cruise control’. In fact, it is more than that.

It is the essence of horse training because it is precisely what characterises training itself: training the horse to do something and maintain it until signalled otherwise.

If this dictum were properly respected and deployed, horse sports would not be in their current predicament of struggling for public acceptance (known as ‘social licence to operate’).

I would venture to say that if horse sports do not rapidly adopt and bench mark self-carriage and current judging systems do not implement it, horse sports will become increasingly unsustainable.

Self-carriage holds the key to the sustainability of horse sports.

Andrew. McLean - Modern Horse Training: Equitation Science Principles & Practice, Volume 2.

12/08/2026

🐴 What if we stopped asking whether horses are simply coping and started asking whether their lives allow them to be horses?

Taking the stage for a plenary presentation at the ISES 2026 Conference, Cristina Luz Wilkins presented “The nature of horses: Applying the teleonome in equitation science.”

Equitation science has given us an enormous body of evidence about how horses learn, behave and respond. But how do we ensure that the questions we ask and the welfare measures we use actually reflect what matters to the horse?

The recently proposed teleonome offers a framework for doing exactly that. Rather than looking only at whether a horse appears distressed, compliant or within expected parameters, it asks what horses are biologically organised to perceive as important and whether their environment allows them to respond accordingly.

Horses evolved for movement, social vigilance and foraging across their environment. When managed environments restrict these opportunities, the consequences may not always be captured by conventional welfare measures.

The plenary challenged us to consider a more horse centred approach to welfare, training, husbandry and research, using the horse’s own biology as our reference point.

Because understanding whether a horse is coping is important. Understanding what matters to the horse in the first place may be even more important.

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